Roy Hibbert
Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is an American professional basketball center with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He graduated from Georgetown University in 2008. He was drafted 17th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors and was immediately traded to the Pacers on draft night. He has represented the Jamaican national team in international competition; he was eligible because his father is originally from Jamaica.[1] On February 9, 2012, Hibbert was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference. Background Roy Hibbert was born in Queens, New York City to Roy, Sr. and Patty Hibbert. His father is originally from Jamaica and his mother from Trinidad. The family moved to Adelphi, Maryland when Roy was 2. Around that time, the New York Post states that his parents introduced him to basketball after they had "tried to get him to play tennis, then golf, then the piano." Hibbert attended Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Maryland. The team was coached by Dwayne Bryant, who had attended Georgetown University as a varsity basketball player. Bryant introduced the still-awkward Hibbert to the GU campus. Hibbert helped make Georgetown Prep's Little Hoyas co-champions of the Interstate Athletic Conference in 2004. Hibbert was successfully recruited by Georgetown coach Craig Esherick in 2003. However, Esherick was fired before Hibbert arrived on campus (Esherick's record in his last season as coach was 13–15). John Thompson III was hired as new head coach College career Hibbert was named to the All-Big East Second Team in 2006 along with teammate Jeff Green. In 2007, he and Green were unanimous selections to the All-Big East First Team, with Green earning Big East player of the year honors. The two led the Hoyas to victory in the 2007 Big East Conference Championship for the first time since 1989 against the Pittsburgh Panthers; Hibbert contributed a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Before the 2007–08 season he was named Big East's preseason player of the year. He was also named a pre-season All-American along with the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, whose North Carolina Tar Heels were upset by Hibbert's Hoyas in the Elite Eight of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Hibbert had repeatedly said that he planned to play all four years and graduate from Georgetown, continuing the tradition of graduating Hoya centers such as Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. However, his performance in helping to lead the Hoyas to the 2007 Final Four catapulted him into lottery pick status. Hibbert declared his eligibility for the 2007 NBA Draft, but did not sign with an agent. On May 23, 2007, Hibbert announced he would return to school for his senior season. Hibbert said of Georgetown, "My heart was here. ... I feel like I have unfinished business here." Following the Hoyas' upset loss to Davidson in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Hibbert's collegiate career came to a close. NBA career Hibbert was drafted 17th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2008 NBA Draft, and was then acquired by the Indiana Pacers in a multi-player deal for Jermaine O'Neal. Hibbert signed his rookie deal for about $1.2 million. In 2012, he was selected to the 2012 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve for the East. In Game 1 of the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic, Hibbert recorded 9 blocks. On July 13, 2012, Hibbert re-signed with the Pacers, agreeing on a 4 year, $58 million dollar contract. On November 21, 2012, Hibbert set a career high by recording 11 blocks as part of a 10 point/11 rebound/11 block triple-double in a victory against the New Orleans Hornets. The 11 blocks also broke the franchise record for most blocks in a single game, and Hibbert became only the second player in Pacers history (alongside Jermaine O'Neal) to record a points-rebounds-blocks triple-double. In Game 3 of a 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the New York Knicks, Hibbert recorded 24 points and 12 rebounds in a Pacers win. During the post-game interview after Game 6 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, Hibbert used the phrase "no homo" while discussing his defense against LeBron James, and then later addressed the reporters as "y'all motherfuckers". He was fined $75,000 by the NBA. Hibbert apologized for his comments in a statement released by the Pacers: "I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the postgame press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night," he said. "They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television. I apologize to those who I have offended, to our fans and to the Pacers' organization." NBA career statistics Regular season Playoffs Category:Roster